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| Sunday, 27 October 2002 |
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A bloody end to a long night at the theatre Explosions and gunfire pierced the pre-dawn quiet of Moscow city centre early Saturday as Russian security forces pounced on a group of Chechen rebels, ending a three-day nightmare for 700 people taken hostage during a night out at the theatre. Sirens screaming, a convoy of eight ambulances swept away from the theatre after security forces, guns in hand, stormed in to rescue the hostages from the band of ruthless Chechen rebels who had vowed to die for their cause. Up to 30 hostages died during the operation, Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov said. Officials in a crisis centre set up to deal with the crisis said 32 of the 50 rebels had been killed. Russian television showed the inside of the theatre following the raid. Pictures showed the bodies of several hostages slumped over between rows of theatre seats. A large metal cylinder, believed to be a bomb the rebels had threatened to set off if an assault was made, was also seen on one of the seats. Vladimir Mikhailov, an emergency ministries rescuer, said he had seen three of the hostages lying dead and several wounded amid the broken glass of shattered windows as he burst into the building. "Several of the hostages were recovered in the street, half-conscious or in a state of shock," he said. Another rescuer said several hostages fainted during the operation. The freed hostages were surrounded by reporters eager to let them describe their harrowing ordeal, but were rapidly led away by officials. At the windows of the ambulances outside the theatre, the pale faces of exhausted hostages could be seen. Some of them leaned their heads against the window, the men unshaven, as rescue services ferried them to a hospital to receive medical treatment and psychological help. They were lightly dressed despite the freezing cold, some of them with only tee-shirts. For much of that time they had lived on a diet of chocolate and water. Other rescued hostages were lying on the floor of the ambulances. Up to 30 children were known to be among the hostages, together with 75 non-Russians from 17 countries. Police manned barriers some 500 metres (yards) from the theatre to keep the public away, although close relatives were being allowed to pass through the cordon to get closer. Two of the rescued hostages said there had been a strong smell of gas inside the building shortly before the storming began. "Gas was injected into the theatre and we were hoping that this wasn't going to end up like the Kursk," Natasha Skobtseva said, referring to the Russian nuclear submarine that sank in the Barents Sea in August 2000, with the loss of all 118 men on board. Anya, another hostage, said they "could sense that the special forces were starting the assault. I don't know what the gas was. I thought: they don't want us to get out of here. We're all going to die." Moments later, an intense burst of gunfire was heard. Around an hour later, after a gun battle it was all over, the bodies of hostages and hostage-takers lying around the theatre. Many of the hostage-takers, including men and women, had strapped explosives to their bodies as frightening proof of their determination, but there was no early indication that any of the devices had been set off. Some of the surviving rebels succeeded in fleeing in the confusion as the operation began around 6.00 am (0200 GMT), the deadline set by the rebels to start executing the hostages unless the Russian authorities met their main demand -- the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. |
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